Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 410 They're really not Team Rocket, meow~

Because Mother Tree Line 3 does not go directly to Luoyushan and there is no underground signal, Zhang Ze and A Li changed their mode of transportation.

I chose to follow Brother Monkey's advice and opted for the ancient Changzhou method of "Didi Frog Killing".

Taking advantage of the current countercurrent in the South China Sea, we will travel directly by water to Luoyushan.

Zhang Ze, with his hands in his pockets and Ah Li on his head, yawned as he watched Monkey King repeatedly casting lures on the beach with a large boom pole.

“By the way, why don’t we just fly there?” Ali, who was perched on Zhang Ze’s head, suddenly asked.

Although one of their flying boats crashed on the way here, there were still spares in the magic bag. Ah Li thought that if she was careful when opening it, there shouldn't be any more problems.

"Because... I'm just curious, I want to see what the frogs in the sea look like," Zhang Ze said expressionlessly.

According to Monkey King, that frog's name is the Red-Palm-Walking Frog...

"What else can a frog look like? It looks like a toad, right? What the heck is that?!"

Ah Li's bored expression turned into shock. After Monkey King threw the round-headed pliers hook with a jade pendant hanging from it into the sea for the 320th time, he finally hoisted up a huge object.

The surging sea whipped up angry waves, and the giant object leaped out of the water, did a backflip, and landed steadily on the beach in a heroic manner.

Rather than saying it was fished up, it's more accurate to say it jumped up on its own.

But no matter how Zhang Ze and A Li looked at it, it had absolutely nothing to do with frogs.

A streamlined black body, a blade-like dorsal fin, and huge white spots that resemble eyes.

With these characteristics, if you ignore its muscular, thick limbs and the color of its hands and feet, which are the same as work gloves and New Year's socks, then it is an orca.

Yeah, an orca man.

Although he didn't know if Changzhou had the custom of calling whales frogs, Zhang Ze personally felt that this thing should actually be classified as the East Sea Merfolk.

The merfolk of the East Sea are divided into male and female. Female merfolk have a human upper body and a fish lower body. Male merfolk have a human lower body and a fish upper body.

Zhang Ze had reason to suspect that the creature in front of him, which Monkey King called the Red-Palm Frog, was a mistake made by a male merman during his trip to the South China Sea.

Zhang Ze stroked his chin, his eyes darting back and forth between Monkey King and the red-palmed frog, and asked in a low voice.

"Hey Monkey King, did you fish the wrong fish?"

"No, wait a moment, gentlemen, let me discuss the price." Monkey King waved his hand to signal Zhang Ze to calm down, then squatted down and began negotiating the price with the red-footed frog he had caught.

The voice sounds quite standard.

Monkey King, "Croak~ Roll croak croak~ Roll croak~"

The red-footed frog looked at Monkey King with a puzzled expression, opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of fine white teeth, its meaning unclear.

Seeing this, the monkey croaked again.

This time, the Red-Palm Frog finally spoke.

"I don't understand what you're babbling about. Speak to me like a human being, I can understand you."

Monkey King: "Ahem, how much does it cost to go to Luoyu Mountain?"

Red Palm shook the frog's head, "No, the Blood Moon is coming again soon, I don't like it there."

However, before Frog could finish speaking, Zhang Ze interrupted, "I'll add more money, whatever you say."

"But then again, the customer is always right, and going there isn't a bad option. You've let me quote a price myself..."

The red-footed frog squinted its little eyes, looking like it had found a sucker.

Zhang Ze waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care and had plenty of money.

He wasn't a sucker; he was just genuinely curious and wanted to see how this frog actually carried passengers.

Surprisingly, the frog didn't ask for much.

Of course, it's also possible that Zhang Ze is used to being a nouveau riche, and this amount of money is nothing to him.

Having agreed on a price, the Red-Palm Frog also brought out its own equipment: a two-seater sedan chair made of fine iron.

This sedan chair is exquisite. Thanks to the suspended magic array at the connection point, it can ensure that the people in the sedan chair above can sit stably no matter how the people below move.

Aside from being a convertible, it has no downsides.

After Zhang Ze and Monkey King sat down, Mr. Frog carried the baby on his back. After activating the magic array, he handed one or two packages to the two of them.

"What is this?" Ah Li asked.

"A parachute," Mr. Frog replied.

Zhang Ze, "?"

As the saying goes, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; once you're on the thieving frog's sedan chair, there's no chance to back out.

Frog Brother landed on all fours, and the crimson color began to spread from his hands and feet to his body. After all four limbs turned crimson, the two white patches next to his eyes also swelled up, just like a frog's vocal sacs.

Bang!
Launched into the air, like a cannonball, the frog unsurprisingly leaped up.

"Holy crap, it jumped so high!" That was Zhang Ze's only thought at that moment.

After leaping high into the air, Frog didn't land. Instead, he used all four legs to grab onto a floating mountain, and then pushed off again, jumping towards another small floating mountain not far away.

It's incredibly fast; you could easily mistake it for a human-powered flying boat.

However, Zhang Ze quickly retracted his assessment, realizing that it wasn't a human-powered flying boat, but rather a human-powered roller coaster.

Frog Bro didn't just jump around the mountain; instead, he glided and entered the water, using various clever techniques to continuously increase his speed.

Its magical energy seems to require water to be used. Whenever the blood on its limbs is about to dissipate, it will leap into the water, and when it comes out again, its bloody hands will be fully extended once more.

It went up and down, it was so exciting!

Zhang Ze felt the money was well spent and even wanted to pay more.

At this speed, we should be able to reach the vicinity of Luoyu Mountain by tonight.

These were the terms they had agreed upon beforehand. Although Zhang Ze offered more money, Brother Frog only agreed to take them fifty miles outside of Luoyue Mountain.

No matter how close it is, I won't go.

As Frog Brother traveled westward, his arrogant way of traveling naturally attracted the attention of various creatures. However, almost all of them could not keep up with Frog Brother's speed, and the rest, after catching up, were frightened away by the shock of Ari Dragon's body and disappeared without a trace.

With the obstacle gone, Frog Brother relaxed and, while continuing his journey, began to chat with Zhang Ze, recounting the anecdotes of Dongzhou that Zhang Ze had heard.

But even roller coasters and taxis can get boring eventually, and after most of the day had passed, Zhang Ze started to feel a bit bored.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to take out a small walnut and start bothering people.

Who should I chat with?
My junior sister can't; she's been quite busy lately.

She's going to find her father.

After discovering that Old Deng might really be missing, the Sword Sect also took action and went to find Old Deng based on the clues left during the last contact last year.

The entire Chen family mobilized, and no one was allowed to be left out, including the junior sister.

Meanwhile, Chen Qin wasn't just looking for one person. Sect Leader Lu also told her to go to the Heavenly Sect, saying there was a lamp he needed to return to her.

Zhang Ze neither heard nor asked what kind of light it was, nor did he remember.

Li Nvxia... judging from her WeChat Moments posts, she seems quite busy.

She recently discovered another hobby: being a teacher.

She transforms into the queen of the classroom, enjoying the pleasure of ruling alone for eternity, and ruthlessly suppressing every disobedient brat. It is said that no one dares to mess around in her classes.

Because she really dares to unleash her dogs to bite people.

Old Tang and his team are currently in Jingzhou, Tianzong, and several other prefectures and counties near Zhongzhou, planning to conduct a major investigation of Zhongzhou.

It's quite busy.

As for the rest, some went on vacation, and some engaged in spiritual practice.

Being busy is good...

However, only Lily posted a message on her WeChat Moments saying, "Nothing to do today, let the dog go back to the mountain."

Okay, then let's torture Lily today.

[Zhang Ze: Oi, is there anything wrong at home?]

[Lily: There were 36 explosions in Qianji Pavilion today, which is far below the average.]

The operation to arrest the kingpin in Qianji Town failed again, and a large meeting is currently being held to summarize the lessons learned.

Today, Zha Shide auctioned off three sacred trees from the Qinling Mountains, seven bronze doors, two human-faced cauldrons, and two dozen or so phoenix galls, making a huge profit.

The Trial Realm and Dungeon will reopen the day after tomorrow, which is great news.

Oh, right! You've lost two more coats.

Um...that's all, that's it. In short, everything is normal!

[Zhang Ze: Good job, very energetic!] [Lily: Thanks for the raise! (*^^))]

[Zhang Ze: No salary, but there's bad news. Ah Li found out about Qianji Bookstore, and she's going back to beat you up.]

[Lily: I'm innocent, boss! This isn't entirely my fault; your master did it too.]

My master?
What business is it of his here?
Zhang Ze was stunned by what Lily said. He really didn't expect that his tough master, who had been strong-willed all his life and had his salary withheld for several thirty years without uttering a word, would have such a day when his reputation was ruined in his later years.

That shouldn't be...

[Zhang Ze: Let's delve into the details. What exactly happened?]

[Lily: Boss, listen to me...]

After listening to Lily's explanation of the whole story, Zhang Ze suddenly felt that something was not right.

That was the matter of the bookstore. Although his master's name was everywhere, his master did not participate in the whole process. It was his uncle, the fat old man Wang Buyu, who conveyed the message on his behalf in the name of Old Li.

Zhang Ze suspected that there were bad people among the crowd.

I switched windows and clicked on my master's name.

[Zhang Ze: Master, I have something important to report. I suspect there are bad people within our Sword Sect.]

Zhang Ze then sent Lily his chat history directly without offering any comments.

His master only replied with one word.

[Old Li: 1]

As for what will happen next, Zhang Ze has no idea and doesn't intend to ask.

After reporting the incident, Zhang Ze switched back to his chat with Lily.

[Zhang Ze: How's the investigation into Blackstone going? Any progress so far?]

Lily: Oh, there are actually quite a few.

Lily then sent over a bunch of reports.

It was the weapon-refining department's research on the composition of those black stones. After refining, a cultivator extracted a kind of dust crystal from them.

Those dust crystals are the source of the Black Stone's magical power.

The jet-black color and other components of the black stone are more like the result of high-temperature melting and rapid solidification, similar to obsidian or molten iron rock.

The monk who discovered this believed that the true source of these black stones might be an underwater volcano off the coast of Changzhou.

The rise of the Earth Sea and the fluctuations of the Earth's veins brought them up from the depths of the earth, and by chance, they were washed to the border of Changzhou by the unique reverse tide of Changzhou.

This largely aligns with Zhang Ze's guess.

[Lily: Boss, be careful when you're walking over there. There might be those black stones all around you. If you find any, remember to pick up a few. Li Jue's were all destroyed by that Calamity Beast, and I only have half of mine left. I wanted to keep some for myself.]

[Zhang Ze: What are you thinking? I'm not a god who can find treasures everywhere I go. I haven't seen a single black stone yet. And what do you mean by "for personal use"?]

[Lily: It means exactly what it says. I sleep with this black stone every night now, it's like I'm hugging a mountain of gold. I sleep so soundly.]

[Zhang Ze: Sleeping? Wow, how can you sleep? At your age, at this stage, can you even sleep? Aren't you practicing anymore?]

[Lily: Hey, Meimei's crawled into my body and helped me repair. I sleep, she cultivates, and we can do both without any problems.]

[Zhang Ze: She's acting like a lazy dog ​​now. How did you convince her?]

[Lily: I gave her a condition she couldn't refuse.]

[Zhang Ze: What?]

[Lily: Hehe, it's a secret.]

Just before Zhang Ze was about to send Lily an emoji to torture her, Lily suddenly changed the subject and brought up the important matter again.

[Lily: We'll temporarily call the power of these dust crystals "cognitive solidification." They're like mirrors that reflect and solidify people's inner desires, preserving the thoughts of the monks who first saw them and allowing them to continue influencing others.]

[Zhang Ze: So, if Ah Li sees a black stone, then that stone would be a delicious meal in her eyes?]

[Lily: Pretty much. As long as people have desires, whether good or bad, they will be recorded by the Black Stone.]

After chatting about Blackstone for a while, Zhang Ze remembered his promise to Monkey King.

[Zhang Ze: By the way, do we have any female bull demons on temporary assignment in our industry in Qianji Town? They need to be busty. Give me a list.]

[Lily: Wow... Boss, are you really hungry? Chen Qin alone can't feed you enough?]

[Zhang Ze: What are you thinking? I promised to introduce someone to a potential partner; it's the other person who wants to go on a blind date.]

Lily: Oh, is that so? How boring.

Lily was silent for a moment, then quickly typed again.

If it's a blind date, what are the man's qualifications and special skills? Tell me about them first.

Lily's question caught Zhang Ze off guard, because he couldn't think of any special skills that Monkey King could boast about.

Monkey King would dry placentas and grind them up to make tea.

I know how to raise the curved-necked flying pigeon, and I can even talk to the red-footed frog, even though the frog can't understand me.

Zhang Ze: Forget it, we'll talk about it later.

Just as Zhang Ze was about to finish, Lily brought up another matter.

[Lily: Don't hang up, boss, I need your help. I remember you said you were going to Rainfall Mountain, right? Could you deliver a package for me?]

Zhang Ze, "?"

Because of the Black Stone incident, both the Thousand Machines Pavilion and Longhu Mountain issued some related collection missions, and many cultivators from the Six Sects or independent cultivators had come here to explore for treasures and seek secrets.

Although most of them returned empty-handed due to the strange ecological environment of Changzhou, some exceptionally talented people stayed.

They even came to the vicinity of Luoyu Mountain.

[Lily: The group that requested the delivery is a bunch of independent cultivators, a man, a woman, and a Money Cat. Their registered name at the mission hall is, 'We're really not Team Rocket.' Hmm, they need…]

Lily then rattled off a list of names for the Thousand Machines Magical Artifacts, most of which were worthless gadgets and some common explosives.

[Zhang Ze: Then just deliver it yourself, why are you contacting us?]

Lily: Because it would be a loss to ship through Qianji Pavilion.

Those bastards somehow got their hands on free shipping coupons, so I had to ship the goods for free. The shipping cost was a hundred times more expensive than the goods themselves. I lost a fortune.

"Hey boss, you're over there right now. When I was helping you organize your magic bag, I saw that you had everything they needed in your pocket, so, hehehe..."

Lily was incredibly annoyed; just to save this little bit of money, she started to torment Zhang Ze instead.

Despite her insistence, Zhang Ze eventually accepted the task.

Meanwhile, Frog Brother slowed down, climbed onto a small floating hill, pointed ahead and spoke.

"That's Luoyu Mountain over there. We've arrived."

Zhang Ze looked up and saw the true face of Luoyu Mountain.

A teardrop-shaped mountain peak juts out from the center of the swamp. Under the setting sun, it is dyed golden. Influenced by the magical power of Luoyu Mountain, whirlpools are everywhere in the swamp, flowing backward.

The sky was shrouded in clouds and mist, with continuous rain, truly living up to its name, Rainfall Mountain. However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the rain was not falling from the sky, but rather from the water into the sky, as if heaven and earth were reversed.

Even without the blood moon and blood rain, this place is still a magical place.

Zhang Ze pressed his watch, took out a pair of flying mechs that Xiao Xuan had used and put them on. He said to A Li, "You protect Brother Monkey and find a place to stay. I'm going to deliver a package and I'll be back in a bit."

After saying that, the deliveryman, Xiao Zhang, jumped off the frog.

……

Somewhere on the outskirts of Luoyu Mountain.

Two people and a cat hung upside down in a tree, dressed in camouflage clothing, pretending to be tin cocoons, experiencing a special activity at Luoyu Mountain.

Wash your hair upside down.

"Did you really see the yellow-skinned rat?" the man asked.

“Absolutely true, exactly the same as the spirit beast illustrations sold by Qianji Pavilion. They’re right here in the cave, a whole bunch of them,” the woman replied.

"But I've never heard of a red tiger python ape living in symbiosis with a yellow-skinned rat... Besides, can you beat that big monkey?" The man was still a little scared.

"What's there to be afraid of, meow? My invincible Thousand Mech is almost finished, meow. The delivery has arrived. Once the final assembly is complete, I'll grab that big monkey along with it in no time, meow."

"Wisdom is invincible, meow!"

That's what the cat said.

……

Deep within the underground cavern ahead of them, a giant ape with a completely crimson body was fast asleep, and in its nest beside him were dozens of small black stones.

(End of this chapter)